​​​Grace and Nick

About Grace and Nick

Grace and Nick have been dancing together almost as long as they've been dancing blues. This has led to a partnership that is fully formed and intuitive, both on the dance floor and while teaching.

They've placed in strictly competitions together at events such as Nocturne Blues, North Star Blues, Mile High Blues, Snowbound Blues, Blues Quake, and European Blues Invasion.

In their classes, Grace and Nick love to zero in on technique and the finer details of movement and connection. They're warm, approachable instructors, quick to jump in when students need individual feedback or have questions after class. Grace and Nick prepare music and content in advance for each class, but are always prepared to switch gears in the moment to best suit the needs of their students.

"I am constantly impressed by how well they are able to craft classes that are rich in history, movement quality, and fun."

"Our event had a number of issues, but Grace and Nick worked through them with us in a gracious and encouraging manner that made the event feel easy. Not only that, but they helped us as young scene leaders by teaching us how to run an event in a better way."

"Despite being a beginner at the time, they were really approachable and have continued to be a resource to me. Super fun, knowledgeable, and friendly! (Not to mention they have great hair)."

Photo by Carli René | InkedFingers

Grace Jones-TaylorGrace Jones-Taylor is an award-winning dancer and instructor based in Austin, TX. Known for her innovative exploration within blues idioms and movement quality, Grace seems to live within the music.

Grace has been teaching dance professionally since 2012 and has taught at festivals around the world, including NYC, Denver, Chicago, LA, Pittsburgh, Quebec City, and Seoul, South Korea.

As a full-time dance teacher, Grace is adept at lesson planning, music selection, and adapting material on the fly to create the best possible learning experience for her students. Her teaching emphasizes collaborative learning, developing personal expression within the idiom, and a follow-focused pedagogy.

​An invaluable resource to students and organizers alike, Grace is accessible and professional both inside and outside of the classroom.

​While Grace has primarily focused on teaching in recent years, she has placed 1st in competitions at Nocturne Blues, North Star Blues, Steel City Blues, Snowbound Blues, Mile High Blues, Blues Muse, European Blues Invasion, and BluesSHOUT.

​Grace's hobbies outside of dance include board games, cooking, and spending time with her oh-so-fluffy cat and dog (Frida and Miri).

Nick DeWittNick’s dancing is simple but musical, understated and connected, chill with an edge of humor, all with a notoriously relaxed and comfortable close embrace. He teaches blues dance as a vernacular style with historical context peppered throughout. He loves exploring and sharing his knowledge of blues idiom dances, such as Struttin’, Savoy Walk, Stride, Piedmont Triple, and more. Nick has taught at events from coast the coast, in the midwest, Canada, and Seoul, South Korea.

Nick competes to keep his skills sharp and embody his values for the dance. He’s placed 1st in competitions at North Star Blues, Nocturne Blues and Mile High Blues.

When not dancing, Nick generally occupies himself by consuming various sci-fi and fantasy media, learning and setting up board games for his housemates and friends, running D&D games, begrudgingly dragging himself to the gym, or trying to convince his dog that cuddles are definitely a form of affection.